Jarrod Bowen’s bagged a dramatic 90th-minute winner to guide West Ham United to their first major European trophy since 1965 with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.
West Ham won the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup 58 years ago with a team that included England World Cup stars Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst. This is their second European trophy.
Bowen took a great through ball from Lucas Paqueta and shot low past Fiorentina goalie Pietro Terracciano, who couldn’t do anything.
“I obviously dreamed of scoring but to score the winner in the last minute. It’s what you always say you want to do,” Bowen told BT Sport.
“To do it in front of these fans. I thought I was going to cry. I’m just happy.”
West Ham scored first in Prague when Said Benrahma blasted a penalty past Terracciano after VAR showed that Cristiano Biraghi had touched the ball while trying to stop Bowen in the box.
Five minutes later, Giacomo Bonaventura tied the game with a low right-footed shot that beat West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola.
Bonaventura took advantage of Nicolas Gonzalez’s great header back after he had jumped over West Ham’s fullback Emerson.
The winner’s name will be the second ever to be on the Conference League trophy. Last year’s winner, Roma, was the first team to win the competition.
With the win, West Ham also earned a spot in the Europa League for next season. Fiorentina, on the other hand, didn’t do well enough in the Serie A to qualify for European play.
West Ham’s last big trophy was the FA Cup, which they won in 1980.
They spent most of last season fighting to stay in the Premier League. In the end, they came in 14th place.
“We had a dream, we haven’t had the best season, myself included, but to give these fans this moment, I’m over the moon,” Bowen said.
“This is the biggest game of my career. The emotion, there was time for one more chance. I’m just so happy.”
The game started slowly, but Michail Antonio tested Terracciano with a low shot at the 40-second mark.
In a mostly boring first half, Fiorentina had more of the ball and looked more organised.
But they didn’t get close until Christian Kouame hit the post with his head after Gonzalez’s cross.
Then, Fiorentina striker Luka Jovic tapped the ball over the line after it bounced back, but his goal was called back because he was out of position.
The best chance for the Hammers in the first half was a shot from outside the box by Declan Rice in the 13th minute. The ball just missed the post.
Rice may have played his last game for the East Londoners because Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United are all interested in signing him.
When both teams scored, the game changed. Suddenly, they were much more active, getting corners and making chances.
But Rolando Mandragora’s shot went just wide, and Areola stopped Sofyan Amrabat. Tomas Soucek’s header was saved by a diving Terracciano.
Before the game, police in Prague said that they had arrested 16 people after fans of Fiorentina attacked fans of West Ham in a bar in the centre of the city. Three people got small cuts and bruises.
Photo by EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK
